


Dystychiphobia

by Capti_vated_ (lescvlt), lescvlt



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Character Growth, Depression, Falling In Love, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Light Angst, M/M, Multi, Slow Burn, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, lowkey domestic towards the end, trigger warning for depression and depressive thoughts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-12-31
Updated: 2020-09-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 13:34:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,543
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22057840
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/lescvlt/pseuds/Capti_vated_, https://archiveofourown.org/users/lescvlt/pseuds/lescvlt
Summary: Chan intends to make his dream come true and prove himself to his friends- whatever that means. Woojin is the carpenter he hires to help make that dream a reality. Maybe he can help him rebuild his friendships too, along with making everything just a little bit brighter.
Relationships: Bang Chan/Kim Woojin, Bang Chan/Kim Woojin/Lee Minho | Lee Know, Lee Minho/Seo Changbin
Comments: 1
Kudos: 11





	1. Dust

**Author's Note:**

> Hello hello, welcome to the first chapter hehe. sorry i’m doing this instead of updating the other fics... thankfully this one is almost finished and safely in my drafts, so there should be somewhat regular updates. the two other fics I have i AM working on, i just didn’t plan them properly. They will be finished though!

“Holy shit, this place is a wreck.” 

Chan stared in disbelief at the dirty floors and windows, creaking ceiling, and coughed, waving away the dust floating in the air. Carefully stepping around the room, avoiding loose nails and splintered floorboards, he sighed. This would be a hell of a lot of work, but as he looks around, he feels a glimmer of hope well up within him. He could see where the register would go, how a watering system could be attached to the ceiling, how the light shining through the big, glass window at the storefront would make the colors of the flowers vibrant and lively. Chan smiled to himself as he grabbed a broom, and began to clean. 

Dusted floors and wiped windows, problem areas written down and old cabinets and shelves torn down. Broken pieces of wood and glass, collected and bagged for the dump. Soon, the floors were visible and the windows were somewhat clearer. With all the light coming in, though, Chan could see how old the ceiling beams were. He bit his lip, wondering if they could realistically be repaired. 

“Alright, Chris. You can do this. It’s a lot of work, but you signed yourself up for it.” He sighs, running a hand through his hair. “They would be proud of you if they could see you now… and they will be once it’s done.” He smiled now, as nostalgia washes through him, laughter echoing in the back of his mind. 

He’d prove he was better now. After all, the shop wasn’t just his dream alone. This would show that he can get better, that he could do better. He shook his head, pulling out his phone and looking for the cheapass app he could always rely on. 

Craigs list. He types in what he’s looking for, scrolling through the results at a breakneck speed. He frowned. Finding someone to do repairs for a decent price was HARD. 

Too expensive, seemed weird, not expensive enough to be good… 

And then, he saw him. Kim Woojin, an on the side carpenter, willing to do a variety of woodwork for a fixed hourly rate and with experience in industrial carpentry. He would be perfect. 

He hummed nervously as he typed out a message, bouncing on the balls of his feet. 

“Need… a… consult for woodworking repairs.” His brow furrowed as he hit send, wondering if that would be enough information. “Meet me at XX around 8am two days from now, let yourself in.” He added, biting at his lip. He really hoped this this guy wouldn’t be some creep. 

“This place is so clean!” A voice shouted from the front door, and Chan jumped, phone crashing to the floor. 

A guy with dark hair and pretty, round eyes looks around the room, mouth agape as he takes in the (somewhat) cleaner floors, the bright light shining through the windows, gaze coming to rest on Chan, who in turn stares at his phone, resting face down on the floor. 

“Ahh! I didn’t mean to scare you.” He says, entering the room all the way and walking up to the other man. 

“I’m Minho, I own the store next door. Is your phone broken? I can show you where to get it fixed if you like?” Chan glances at this guy, taking in his :] smile, the apron covered in cat hair, and the outstretched hand in front of him. His eyes are wide and earnest, 

“Sure,” He said, taking Minho’s hand. “I’m Chan.”  
He leaned down to grab the phone, flipping it over and examining the screen. Minho winces as he sees the cracks, strewn across the screen like a spider’s web, apologizing once again. 

“I really didn’t mean to startle you… I grew up around here, my friends and I may or may not have used to hang out here back in high school…” He laughed sheepishly, “Maybe a little in college too. Anyway, it’ll be great to get to know you tomorrow! I’ll show you around town. Sorry about the bottles, we may have forgotten to clean up the last time we were here…” Chan laughed, giving him a beautiful, dimpled smile. 

“its fine, it wasn’t the worst thing in here. When were you thinking about exploring town?” 

“Tomorrow… you look tired as hell, and it won’t be as crowded in the morning. I’ll come over and grab you.”

Chan gave him a quiet smile. 

“See you then!”


	2. Cats

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> TW// drinking
> 
> Minho takes Chan around town, and the two learn more about one another. At the end of the day, they return back to Minho's place to talk and drink together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! I'm finally putting out an update... thank you for your patience! I hope you enjoy this chapter and I want to state that the ending is a bit rushed- it was difficult to make a clean break. This is also much longer than the first chapter!! please leave me some comments telling me what you thought and look forward to the next installment!

Chan wrung his hands together, nervous for what the day would hold. His somewhat odd neighbor was going to show him around the town, and it had been a long time since he had actually had a friend. Were they friends? Minho seemed nice, but what if it were all a facade? What if he was to awkward or shy, or he embarrassed himself? 

Quiet steps and a soft knock on the door pulls him from his thoughts, and a familiar voice calls to him. “Chan~ You ready to go?” Minho walks in, observing the sleeping bag lying on the floor, the messy computer cords scattered around, and frowns when he sees Chan. He stares for a moment, taking in the crumpled shirt, the dusty jeans, and the messy hair. 

“Did you shower?” He asks quietly. Chan averts his eyes, face flushing. 

“My apartment upstairs still isn’t ready, I honestly didn’t think you would be able to notice, hah!” 

Minho stares him down with an unreadable expression, and Chan shifts on the balls of his feet, embarrassed. 

“Okay, I am not going into town until you shower. Come on! You’re going to rinse off at my place!!” He ly heads out the door, Chan stepping quickly after him. 

“Minho, it's really ok…”

“It is not, we are not going out with you looking like,” he glances back at Chan “Well, like you slept on floor” 

“Plus” He mumbles, fumbling a key from his apron. “I know what mindset you tend to be in when you, uh,” Minho side eyes him, “Make reckless decisions about moving to a new town, buying an abandoned shop, avoiding showering, that kind of thing.” 

Chan could feel himself flush. Was he that transparent? 

“There!” The lock clicks, and Minho holds the door open for Chan, urging him in and up the stairs. There’s pictures scattered on the walls, nice, framed photographs and hastily printed polaroids, some of people who look like family, some of cats, and some of what seem to be friends. They stand out against the pale blue paint and faint light in the room. 

“Hurry up! The cats will get out.” 

“You have cats?”

“Uh, duh. I run a cat cafe. The local rescue and adoption place brings them by for people to kind of preview before the adopt.” He kneels down to pick up his own cat, making kissy faces at it. 

“They deserve to be loved, too” He says, and Chan notices a softness in his eyes when he talks about them. Its charming, and despite how harshly the other man sometimes spoke, he could tell he was kind. 

Cradling the cat in the crook of his arm, Minho leads Chan through the small flat towards the back, ushering him into the bathroom. 

“Use whatever you like… do you have spare clothes?” 

Chan shakes his head, feeling the flush of embarrassment come over his face once again. Minho just stares for a moment, before disappearing into another room. He comes back, cat gone and replaced with a t-shirt and a pair of jeans. 

“Use whatever you need, towels are under the sink” Minho walks back down the hallway and Chan can hear him talking to the cats as he shuts the bathroom door behind him. 

He can’t stop the slight feeling of shame though, as he hops in, letting the warm water run down his face and chest for a minute, then two, as he collects himself. 

“He’s just… looking out for you...” Chan whispers, before he shakes his head, water splattering the curtain next to him, wondering what the point was. He watches the water swirl down the drain, (make rambling longer) Why would anyone care about-

“Ah, shit” He winced, shampoo running into his eyes. Sighing, he finished up, dried off, and pulled on the borrowed clothes. Just a simple black t and jeans, the shirt just a bit tight around his shoulders. 

He stepped out of the bathroom, still drying his hair as he looked around for Minho. As he walks back down the hall, his eyes linger on the many photos up, of friends and what seems to be family. Each photo is different, different ages and different people, but one thing always stays the same. That cute, cheeky smile. Chan smiles softly himself, before resuming his small walk to the living area. Minho is sitting on the couch, scrolling on his phone with a cat in his lap, looking up at the sound of soft footsteps. He gives Chan that same smile as in the photos, and beckons him to come sit by his side. 

“How did you end up here?” He asks quietly “This town is so small, almost everyone left after high school… Never expected people to move in” 

“Partly because its so small here.” Chan pauses, uncertain how much he’s willing to say. 

“There were a lot of things going on back home and I needed to get away. I can’t keep pulling everyone around me down.” He feels his throat tighten, and all he can focus on is his hands, slightly shaking in front of him. 

The atmosphere grows oddly serious for a moment as he waits for a reaction from the other man. 

There’s silence for a moment, before Minho nods, thinking fully about Chan’s words. 

“We’ve all got something we’re running from.” He responds, a matter of fact tone about him. 

“Let’s change the subject now, hmm?” He gives Chan that cute smile again. “Tell me about your old town?” 

Chan smiles weakly, relaxing as he talks of its faded buildings and the sprawling university he had attended, the sweets store with the handmade chocolates that always had a line, trailing down the street every morning. They chat for awhile, going back and forth with stories from their childhoods, not even noticing time passing them by. 

An alarm goes off, interrupting the quiet giggles coming from the two men on the couch. 

“What’s that for?” Chan asks, 

“Oh shit!” Minho says, scrambling up from his seat. 

“The phone place closes in 45 minutes-“ He says, throwing Chan a worried look. 

“Aaahh let’s go then!!” Chan laughs, grabbing his wallet and phone off the couch and rushing for the door, Minho on his heels. They stumble down the stairs, trying not to trip over cats, Chan almost bouncing as Min fumbles his keys, locking the door behind them. 

He let Minho take the lead as they sprint down the street, laughing the entire way. 

—

“I can’t believe we made it.” Chan gasped, still slightly out of breath as they leave the repair place. The two walk slowly

“We should celebrate!”

“How?”

“Do you want to get drinks?” Minho muses, as they stroll down the street, Chans (repaired) phone resting safely in his pocket. 

“...It’s literally 4:30… in the afternoon.” 

“Time is relative!” And with a cheeky grin, he takes Chans hand and pulls him into the nearest convenience store. 

“Now, this is going to be a welcome to the neighborhood and a phone repair party,” Minho says, examining the various drinks in front of them. 

“The phone that you broke.” Chan reminds him with a laugh. 

“And that is why it will be my treat!” Min replies, pulling some bottles of soju off the shelf and into their basket. 

Things go by in a blur as they grab more drinks and snacks for their two person party, taking their time as they walk home, the setting sun on their backs. 

They return to the apartment as night falls, and Chan gazes up at the stars, noting how bright they are away from the city, and he wonders where he would have to go to see them even brighter.

“If you head about a mile out of town, there’s a hill you can go to the top of, its public land and makes an excellent date spot. There’s so many stars you almost can’t even see the sky anymore.” Minho says when he glances back at the other boy. 

“Good to know.” Chan replies, quiet, almost unable to tear his eyes away, but Minho does it for him, taking his arm and pulling him inside and up the stairs.

Minho pulls a small table from behind the small couch, immediately placing bottles and small glasses on it, already pouring a glass for Chan. 

“You’re older than me, hm?” He says, both hands wrapped around the bottle.

“I’m not too strict about that kind of thing.” Chan laughs, smiling as Minho faces away from him to down his first glass. He tosses back his own, sighing as the alcohol fills him with warmth. 

“Why are you so comfortable around me?” He asks, this time taking the bottle for himself and refilling the small glass. 

“We just met yesterday, and yet, you’ve shown me the town, invited me over to drink and you even let me pet your cats. I don’t know if I’ve ever met someone as nice as you.”

“You sound pretty lonely, then.” Minho teases. Chan gives him a pointed look in return, and the other boy sighs. 

“Fine. Maybe I’m the one who’s lonely,” He admits, throwing back his third; no, maybe his fourth glass of the drink. 

“All my friends moved out of town after high school. They’ve all gone to college or left for the city and here I am, stuck in the same old town, doing the same old thing. I’ve gotten my own store and place and yet.” He pauses, contemplating his next words. “You’re interesting, Chan. Maybe you’ll bring something fun to this slow, boring place.” 

Chan nods, surprised at the straightforward response. 

“I hope so too.” He responds quietly. Chan smiles as Minho pops open their second bottle, and then the third, and the fourth, and the boys are tipsy and giggling on the floor. Chan is unsure of how much they’ve drank at this point, he can’t even tell the time and at this point? He’s not even sure how much he’s going to be remembering in the morning. He somehow manages to stumble back down the stairs, out the door, and back to his own shop.


	3. UPDATE

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> update on the status of this fic

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i’m sorry

hi! author here!

with the recent news about woo**n i’ve decided not to continue this fic.

it was a story that meant a lot to me but his victims and actions mean so so much more. i will be taking the story and turning it into a. comic, eventually, but it will no longer be tied to stray kids OR woojin. i will subsequently be editing him out of all my other fics. i’ll leave these chapters up for now, but i will be deleting this project at some point. i just wanted to let y’all know before i did. 

thank you for reading! 

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! please leave me a comment or kudos, i wanna know how i did HAHA. i’m on twitter under @capti_vated_ , come say hi! This first chapter is pretty short btw but all the others are about twice as long, so i promise you’ll be getting some THICC content soon hehe


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